Dell Computer focuses on Asia Pacific region

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Dell Computer Corp (4331.HK), the world's second largest personal computermaker, said on Wednesday it was focusing on the Asia Pacific region which was its fastest growing market.

``It think this region is very quickly trying to capitalize on the technology and the productivity advantages of
computing devices,'' Donald Collis, vice president in investor relations at Dell, told Reuters in an interview.

He said the trend was generating business potential for Dell, which provides computer products and services.

FASTEST GROWING REGION

``This is our fastest growing region. Last quarter it grew 47 percent in terms of revenue year over year. In China
itself, it almost doubled. so this is a very key market for us,'' he added.

``We have only about four percent market share across all the Asia Pacific -- so a huge amount of
opportunity,'' Collis said.

Dell is running business in 38 countries across Asia.

Collis said China was probably the company's fastest growing market in the region. ``It is very Internet savvy,''
he said.

The vice president said Dell was expanding its manufacturing facility in southern China's Xiamen with a view
to quadrupling its capacity.

He said ``hundreds of people'' would be added eventually to the factory, which serves both the mainland
Chinese and Hong Kong markets. Collis gave no investment value or time frame.

The company had invested over $800 million in more than 90 technology startups globally -- including some in
the Asia Pacific region -- within the last year, Collis said.

HONG KONG DEBUT

He was speaking in the territory on the first trading day in Hong Kong of seven Nasdaq-listed stocks, including
Dell.

The company's shares ended at HK$358 in Hong Kong on Wednesday, versus its previous New York close of
$44.

Collis said the trading of the stock in Hong Kong was expected to raise Dell's visibility here, and help it
develop the local market.

In a landmark exchange program, seven Nasdaq counters started trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange on
Wednesday. The cooperation between the two exchanges should also see some Hong Kong companies trade
on the Nasdaq.

Collis said he was looking for similar opportunities to have Dell's shares traded in other parts of the world via
partnership programs between Nasdaq and other excha